Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-01-15

was this characteristic expression that
brought forth the ire OF Mr.. Davis's
friends, VIII, On reading the history of
the service, found no mention of his name,
! or Of tiS being the originator of the
system. There was not found in this re
| port the bill passed in congress known
as the railway mail car bill, of which Mr.
! Davis was the author, nor the letters of
| Superintendent II. G. Whiting and
| George H. NettletOn, of the Hannibal and
| st. Joe Railroad, under whose superyis
| ion Mr.. Davis had his cars constructed
| The credit OF originating the railway
| postotlice was given to the late George
! b. Armstrong, OF Chicago, who,
| in July, 1862, (vhen the Davis sys-
| TEN was found success), was assist
ant postmaster at Chicago. Armstrong,
hearing of the success Of Dsyis's system
/ OF distributing the mails between Quincy
and s.. Joseph, obtained authority to in
augurate similar service on the railroad
between Chicago and Clinton, Iowa. His
cars We're arranged exactly as those de-
| signed by Mr.. Davis. He had all the mail
distributed in transit, wlile Mr.. Davis
only dis ributed the Overland mail. Mr..
Armstrong subsequently developed and
improved the system, and his friends at
tempted 10 award him the credit which
did not belong to him. To substsntiate
the claim that Mr. Davis was the protector
of the system his friends put themselves in
orresDOndence with many leading men,
and Mr.. Gordon, who is Mr.. DaviS's SON
in-law, took an eager and active part in
the correspondence. Mr.. u. c. Whitney,
who was an official of the San Francisco
and North Pacific Railroad Company,
wrote Mr.. Gordon that Mr.. Davis came
to him at Hannibal IN the spring of 1862
and suggested TO hun the propriety of as
sorting the mail while in transit between
Hannibal and st. Joseph. Very soon
afterwsrd he began the construction of
two cars on the plans designated by Mr..
Davis, who also frequently visited the
shops during the construction of the
cars and made suggestions from time
to time in regard TO the design Of
the interior arrangements. Mr.. Charles
+. Macy, superintendent of the St. Jo-
seph Mo, postoffice, in g strO1g letter
to Mr.. Gordon, stated that "the boys
used to make all kinds of sport of Mr..
Davis and his overland mail car, as they
called it. 1t was his hobby and his idea,
and there can be no doubt but he was the
OIlSAhht'A VI Vic ioilHN-J man eel VIC VI
this country and the first man to make q
practical test of the same. The idea was
opening through pouches and distributing
through mail while en- route" Mr.. Guy
c. Barton testifes to the fact of Mr..
Davis's claim and gives true history
of it, being at the time connected
with he s.. Joseph postoffice, and was
one of the first clerks sent out to
try the system. Hundreds of letters have
been received by Mr.. GJgdon and the
friends of Mr.. Davis showing his origin |
atty and invention of the system. The !
whole matter, in q few words, only bears !
out the truth that republics are migrate
fui. Mr.. Davis was born in 1909 in Bar |
rem county, Ky, and was connected with |
the postoffice d, par ment for fifty years, |
and until the day of his death, which &C.
Cured January Is, 1875, His friends |
know the great value of his service to the |
government, and they feel aggrieved at |
the fact that the government, in giving !
forth to the world the history of the rail |
way mail service, should fail 10 give Mr.. |
Davis the credit due him, and instead be- |
stow it upon a man who only copied Mr. |
Davis, and afterward was given authority |
o make improvements.